Over the past few months, the AgriSETA staff have been hard at work in getting the new procedures and processes in place. There is still much work to be done, but we are confident that all systems will be fully functional by the beginning of April 2006.

The management team of AgriSETA has also been attending meetings and workshops to update them on the latest requirements in the skills development arena, and we will communicate any new developments to you as soon as they are finalized.

The year is quickly drawing to a close and many of you are planning your year-end break. I would like to wish you a pleasant holiday and safe journeying wherever you may be traveling.

From the staff and myself, I wish all our Committee members, stakeholders and suppliers a peaceful and joyous festive season and a wonderful New Year!

The ETQA Department has had a back log of Accreditation visits and are working well into the month of December to extend the list of accredited providers. Visits have ranged from Gauteng, Limpopo, Polokwane, North West and KwaZulu Natal and Eastern Cape. SAQA requires that Setas visit their training providers at least once within a year of their initial accreditation. This process ensures that providers continue to meet the original criteria on which their accreditation is based. It also ensures that if training material has changed, that it continues to meet the original criteria and that cognisance has been taken of any changes in the technical environment.

The assessor training conducted at the AgriSETA offices was attended by 13 delegates from the Pest Control sector and 8 from the Further Education and Training Colleges.

ETQA Workshops will be held nationally early in the new year to update stakeholders on various ETQA Matters:

Data Capturers, Skills Development Facilitators (SDF”s) and Training Managers.

Workshops will commence at 11am each day in the following areas:

SKILLS DELIVERY
Learnerships

A Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) project started by four former South African Forestry Company (Safcol) employees, recently saw 20 Learners graduate at the Longmore Flower Estate situated at Thornhill in the Eastern Cape. The Estate was voted the best export producer of proteas in the province.

With a shortage of skills in the rural area, these learners completed the project funded by the SETA. Zeeta Somaar, Programme Facilitator of the project, expressed her heartfelt thanks toward the SETA for the funding and support. The Former Minister of Public Enterprise Jeff Radebe, who also attended the graduation ceremony and who participated in the project in 2004, was honoured by having a protea, “Radebe Sunrise Flower”, named after him.


SKILLS PLANNING
ABET – Adult Basic Education and Training

1ST LEARNING CENTRE AT FOUNTAINHILL IN KWAZULU NATAL.
A sugar cane, avocado and beef farm in KwaZulu Natal has become the first farm in the province to establish a learning centre. The 3 000 hectare Fountainhill Estate is owned by the Taeuber family, who set up a staff training centre in early 2005 in order to address the pressing and relevant issue of personal skills development for their employees.

According to Keith Taeuber, “We wish to encourage a spirit of ‘Life Long Learning’, in line with Government’s national policy on Skills Development and Education, and Employment Equity.”

He adds, “We are very proud of the fact that we are the first Farm/Agricultural centre to be established in KZN, and possibly even in South Africa.”

The centre is equipped with 10 networked computers, a printer, television and video facilities. It has implemented the computer-driven multimedia adult basic education and training (ABET) programme developed by adult education expert Media Works and some 95 per cent of Fountainhill Estate’s staff have volunteered for the programme. There are currently 45 learners active on the ABET programme, acquiring computer skills at the same time that they are acquiring literacy and numeracy skills. Fountainhill Estate has furthermore acquired other software, including the Encyclopaedia Brittanica suite, which is assisting learners in their understanding of life, history and everything else.

Taeuber says, “Our aim is to eventually be able to link all of the computers to the Internet to offer our learners the world at their fingertips. We have been absolutely amazed at the difference that the Media Works ABET material and the computers have made in the lives of the learners. Their progress has been incredible! Staff are more motivated than before as they now have an opportunity to achieve something with their lives, to finish their schooling and to empower themselves.”

The establishment of this centre was as a result of the collaboration and support from AgriSeta (the Agricultural Education and Training Authority), Media Works KZN and Fountainhill Estate. The initiative to implement adult education on farms is being driven by AgriSeta, which has purchased a national site license from Media Works, giving the Seta the right to use the ABET material nationwide. AgriSeta is providing the Media Works ABET programme to members free of charge and across the board. AgriSeta is also assisting farming communities to establish learning centres by helping them to source computers and even furniture, where required.

Media Works’ Francois de Meillon says the success of ABET at Fountainhill Estate, and indeed all sites, hinges on the commitment of the farm owner and the facilitator to driving the training process, as well as the commitment of learners to attending class and doing the required work. He adds that Keith Taeuber has been instrumental in managing the process at Fountainhill Estate and ensuring that staff members are available to attend ABET where required.